Creating consistent, high-quality training in international development isn’t easy—especially when it’s delivered across dozens of countries, languages, and cultural contexts.
That’s why the International Finance Corporation (IFC) partnered with Comprehensive Learning Solutions to develop global standards, training programs, and a professional network designed to raise the bar for learning and performance improvement efforts in emerging markets.
This multi-year project brought together CLS’s full range of capabilities—from strategic visioning to design, development, and delivery.
The client
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on private sector development.
As part of its mission to reduce poverty and promote shared prosperity, IFC supports entrepreneurs, women, farmers, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in emerging markets and fragile or conflict-affected areas. A key aspect of their support is their performance improvement programs, which includes training, mentoring, and capacity-building.
The problem
While the IFC and other development agencies had long offered performance improvement programs, the quality and consistency of these efforts varied significantly—even within the same organization. There were no shared standards or frameworks to guide practitioners delivering learning and development projects in the field. As a result, project outcomes were uneven, and it was difficult to ensure effectiveness across the board.
The IFC recognized the need to standardize training practices across the international development community to improve quality, accountability, and results. But to succeed, any solution would need to earn buy-in from a wide array of stakeholders and be flexible enough to apply in many different cultural and operational contexts.
The solution
Comprehensive Learning Solutions partnered with the IFC to lead a multi-faceted initiative to raise training standards across the sector. CLS collaborated with IFC to:
- Co-create global standards and principles for performance improvement based on real-world conditions in emerging markets
- Develop and deliver training to help practitioners understand and apply the standards effectively
- Prepare trainers for certification, ensuring alignment with the IFC-Learning and Performance Institute’s (LPI) Trainer Performance Monitoring and Assessment (TPMA) standards
- Contributed to the design of the Grow Learn Connect (GLC) online network through a human-centered design process, helping shape the user experience, visual identity, and key services to provide a global directory of certified professionals and resources to support continued learning
CLS brought deep instructional design expertise and strategic thinking, cross-cultural experience, and a collaborative approach that made it possible to navigate shifting priorities, gain stakeholder support, and deliver tools that could scale across the globe.
The impact
Since its rollout in 2019,:
- 233 organizations around the world had endorsed and adopted the new standards
- 754 professional trainers in 46 countries received IFC-LPI certification
- 616 learning professionals joined the GLC network
This initiative didn’t just improve training quality—it helped professionalize the entire field of learning and performance improvement within international development. That’s impact.
Grow with Comprehensive Learning Solutions
At CLS, we know how to take an idea from concept to execution—and how to do it in complex, global environments. Whether you’re setting a new standard, building a network, or launching a training program that needs to scale across borders, we bring the experience, flexibility, and creativity to make it happen.
Let’s work together to build something that lasts. Reach out today to learn how we can support your organization’s next big learning initiative.
